Comparison of Continuous Flush with Pulse Flush Technique in Clearing Blood Contamination of Small Bore Intra Vascular Catheter: A Randomised Control Trial
Journal Title: Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research - Year 2018, Vol 12, Issue 8
Abstract
ABSTRACT Introduction: Peripheral vascular catheters are mainly used to administer fluids and drugs in the new born. Improper flushing of the catheters after the drug has been given could lead to blood contamination at the hub which thus, becomes a nidus for infection. There is no standard method of flushing the catheter hub. Hence, we have tried two different methods of flushing to know which of them would result in lesser contamination. Aim: To compare the effectiveness of continuous flush technique with pulse flush technique in clearing the blood contaminated peripheral vascular catheter hub. Materials and Methods: The study was a single blind cross over A randomised control study in which health care professionals flushed the catheter that was filled with blood with one ml of normal saline and the flush was discarded. The technique of flushing (continuous or pulse) was as per the random sequence. After a washout period of 30 minutes, the same experiment was repeated with the other technique. The hub residue was obtained in an EDTA vacutainer by flushing 0.2 ml saline and 1 ml of air and analysed by the pathologist for the RBC count. Results: Sixty-four subjects participated in the study and flushed a catheter with the technique that was suggested in the envelope and subsequently another one by the alternative technique. All the samples obtained by both techniques showed RBCs. Minimum and maximum RBC counts with continuous flush was 8000 and 656000/cu mm respectively. Similarly, minimum and maximum RBC counts with pulse flush were 10240 and 928000/cu mm respectively. The difference was not statistically significant with a p-value of 0.412. Conclusion: Our study shows there was no significant difference between the techniques used for flushing the catheter after use with respect to clearing the hub from blood.
Authors and Affiliations
Deepti Thandaveshwara, Vani Krishnamurthy, HV Prajwala
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP526451
- DOI 10.7860/JCDR/2018/34785.11918
- Views 119
- Downloads 1
Inflammatory Myofibroblastic Tumour –An Unusual Tumour with Intermediate Malignant Potential- Report of Three Cases
Inflammatory Myofibroblastic Tumour (IMT) is a rare mesenchymal neoplasm of borderline malignancy. It is characterised by proliferation of myofibroblasts and fibroblasts with variable amount of inflammatory infiltrate. A...
To Determine Tooth Discolouration After Treatment with Various Endodontic Materials using Spectrophotometric Analysis-An In-Vitro Study
ABSTRACT Introduction: Various materials have been tried to minimise tooth discolouration over the years. Calcium silicate-based cements have been available for many years. These biomaterials have been used in various en...
Paecilomyces Keratitis in Western India: A Case Report
Cases of ocular trauma with vegetative matter are commonly encountered in ophthalmic practice in India. Many of these present with keratitis/ corneal ulceration, of which fungi have a predominant share. We report a case...
A Study on Pulmonary Manifestations of Rheumatoid Arthritis
ABSTRACT Introduction: In approximately 50%, are Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), there are extra articular manifestations. Pulmonary involvement ranges between 10%-67%. Interestingly, mortality in patients of RA is further in...
VanA Mediated Glycopeptide Resistant Enterococcus faecium (GRE) Infection in an Elderly Patient with Chronic Kidney Disease – A Case Report
Abstract A 66-year-old male patient who is a known case of chronic kidney disease was admitted to the hospital with complaint of seizures. He was uremic and showed signs of encephalopathy. He was previously hospitalized...